And We Keep Going like This
by SasuNarufan13
Summary: Just the two of them together. That is all he will ever need and want. Sasuke's pov; slash; domestic bliss; more warnings inside


**Author's note: This was something I started a couple of years ago and today I was in the mood to finally finish it. (My time management is as always perfect). Just a 'What if'- story.**

**Something special about this story: warnings will be given at the start as usual, but I will keep some very specific warnings for the end of the story, because those warnings would otherwise spoil the plot. If you don't want to take the risk, you're welcome to read the extra warnings at the end.**

**Warnings: Sasuke's pov; set in the future, but doesn't follow epilogue; established slash; some fluff; smidgen of drama; domestic bliss**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto owns it.**

**I hope you'll like it!**

* * *

**And We Keep Going Like This**

It rained when he woke up. The curtains hadn't been drawn last night, so he had a good view of the fat raindrops splattering apart against the window and sliding down. They formed small rivulets against the glass, like miniature rivers. In the distance thunder rumbled low.

His breath left him in a soft exhale when fingers tip tapped down his bare arm. Up and down they went; the soft, barely there touch sending little shivers down his spine.

"You're up early," he murmured and rolled over onto his back, staring up at messy, blond strands framing a grinning face.

"Don't get used to it," Naruto chuckled, withdrawing his hand. He sat up and stretched his arms upwards.

Dark and purple eyes greedily took in the view he was offered: the muscles shifting underneath tanned, smooth skin; the intricate design of Kyuubi's seal; the two small, black bars in his bellybutton. The piercing was something he had got three years ago and the studs never failed to grab Sasuke's attention.

Naruto's mischievous gaze greeted him when he trailed his eyes back up. "See something you like?" he asked teasingly and laughed when Sasuke reached his right arm around his waist and hauled him onto his lap. It took a bit of scrambling around – mainly on Naruto's part – but then the blond man was straddling his lap; his hands resting idly around Sasuke's neck. Their naked chests were pressed together; Naruto's body noticeably warmer than his.

"Did you sleep well?" he smiled and softly tugged at black hair.

"I would have if someone hadn't been hogging the blankets again," Sasuke grumbled, resting his hand on the blond's lower back, right above the seam of his boxers. "I should just kick you out of the bed next time. Or better yet, sleep alone."

"You won't," Naruto laughed softly, bending his head closer to his. "Who else is going to keep you company at night?"

Their mouths met in a soft kiss; neither minding the other's morning breath. Their lips parted slowly, but before the kiss could deepen, Naruto pulled away, resting their foreheads against each other.

"Good morning, Sasuke," he said brightly; his smile blinding even in the semidarkness of their bedroom.

"Hn, morning," he muttered, but the corners of his mouth pulled slightly up.

Naruto slipped off his lap, swinging his legs out of bed and withdrawing his warmth. He stood up, stretched again, even standing on his tiptoes this time, before padding over to the door. Scratching his stomach idly – taking care not to disturb his piercing – he turned his head to glance questioningly at the dark haired man still resting in bed. "I'm going to make breakfast, okay?"

"Sure, just don't burn it like you did last time," Sasuke muttered, rubbing over his eyes.

"You were the one who distracted me, bastard!" Naruto squawked and balled up a shirt he found on the floor, throwing it at Sasuke. "It was your own fault!" he huffed, before disappearing into the darkness of the corridor.

A snort left him and he grabbed the crumpled shirt, shaking it out. It turned out to be one of Naruto's, so he stood up and draped it over the back of the chair next to the wardrobe. They'd have to wash their clothes soon before they would run out of clean ones. The days were growing chillier, so they couldn't wait too long with that particular chore. Despite being the one whose body temperature tended to run warmer than Sasuke's, Naruto was wont to start bitching if he didn't have any clean, warm clothes once the temperature outside dropped. He didn't mind the lack of clean clothes so much in the summer when everything they wore would quickly be damp with sweat anyways, but he could be an absolute nightmare once autumn arrived if he had no clothes to protect him against the chilly weather.

Paradoxically he also absolutely loathed washing their clothes, so they usually had a big argument – sometimes even ending in a physical fight if Naruto was feeling particularly foul that day – before the blond would finally give in and help Sasuke with the wash.

Such a troublesome idiot at times, really.

Rain was still streaming down the window when he went to take a shower.

* * *

The scent of eggs drifted into his nostrils when he descended the staircase, draping a towel around his neck to absorb the last stray waterdrops. His bare feet padded silently down the wooden steps, following the scent of breakfast being prepared.

Naruto stood at the counter, dicing a tomato in little cubes with a look of concentration on his face. There was a teakettle on the fire, steaming faintly, and two cups had already been placed on the small kitchen table.

"No ramen?" Sasuke inquired with a smirk when he noticed the distinct lack of the cup on the counter. He crossed his arms and leant against the doorjamb, amusement growing when the blond started.

The other man twisted around with a scowl. "No, apparently I've run out of ramen," he replied petulantly and waved the knife at the cupboard where he stored the cups. "We need to stock up again."

"'We?' You're the one insisting on eating that garbage," Sasuke snorted and walked over to the stove when the kettle started whistling shrilly.

"It's not garbage, bastard," Naruto growled and his scowl deepened. "You just don't have any appreciation for that divine taste," he added with a sniff before turning his attention back to the tomato cubes.

"Our definition of divine taste differs greatly," the dark haired man remarked dryly and filled the two cups on the table with the hot water, watching how the teabags drifted upwards a bit; the smell of fresh mint soon rose up.

"Yeah, and my definition is the right one," Naruto said snippily. He pushed the cutting board with the diced tomato to the side and checked on the omelettes. "Breakfast's ready," he announced a lot more cheerfully and carefully slid each omelette out of the pan and onto the plates.

They spent their breakfast discussing the fact that they would need to wash all their clothes – Sasuke – and debating whether it couldn't wait for at least one more week – Naruto.

"Look, you're the one who starts bitching when you don't have enough warm clothes for autumn," Sasuke sighed, rolling his eyes. "But hey, if you want to walk around naked for the rest of autumn and winter, be my guest." He smirked. "I certainly wouldn't mind."

"I don't bitch, you bastard!" Naruto snapped, glowering at him and then promptly reddened when the rest of Sasuke's retort registered in his mind. "And stop being such a pervert!"

"You weren't saying that last night." Sasuke's smirk deepened when the blond man reddened even more.

"Will you shut the hell - " Naruto cut himself off and they both turned to look at the window when something tapped against the glass.

A messenger bird was staring straight back at them, before tapping more ferociously against the window, looking like it wanted to hammer straight through the glass.

"Wonder what Kaka-sensei wants," Naruto wondered aloud as Sasuke rose up and went to the window to open it before the bird would manage to shatter it completely.

"Yeah, me too," the dark haired man murmured, holding out his hand to the small bird. It hopped onto the middle of his palm, waiting patiently as he devested the tiny being from the small scroll it had been carrying.

As soon as he had the scroll in his hand, the bird chirped softly and flew out of the open window, landing on a branch in a nearby tree. Clearly it had been instructed to wait for a reply.

"Why don't you read what he wants while I start cleaning up here?" Naruto suggested, eyeing the scroll with some curiosity.

"Sure, thanks," Sasuke muttered absently, choosing to go to their living room to read the message.

It had been a while since Kakashi had last contacted them; he wondered what the older man wanted this time. Sasuke thought he'd been quite clear the last time that he didn't want to be bothered anymore. Konoha was no longer his business and if this message contained any sort of request to help with a mission, Kakashi could shove his message where the sun didn't shine.

Already a bit annoyed, he removed the seal impatiently and started reading the message; his gaze flitting quickly across the lines.

_Sasuke,_

_It has been a while since we last heard from you. I'm hoping that this is a good sign and that the silence doesn't mean that something bad has happened to you._

_I'm going to continue this message in the assumption that you're still alive. I know we had this discussion before, but I just want you to know that you can always come back. The Council has long since been disbanded; there's nobody left here who would oppose your return._

_I know you said you were never going to return to Konoha, but I want you to keep in mind that you can always change your mind. Especially with what happened; it's not good to dwell in the past as you should very well know._

He didn't even bother reading the rest of the message, crumpling the paper into a ball. Snorting harshly, he stared unseeingly at the empty fireplace, where soon – probably in a couple of weeks if Naruto had his way – a fire would be merely crackling, filling the room with its warmth again. Changing his mind, huh? He'd never thought that Kakashi of all people would be this damn optimistic. He had no desire whatsoever to return to that godforsaken village and it would do his ex-sensei well to finally accept that fact.

"What did Kaka-sensei want?" Naruto appeared in the doorway, lingering inside the frame with his right hand resting against the doorjamb.

"What do you think?" Sasuke asked sourly, his fingers tightening around the crumpled paper, ignoring how the tiny sharp edges dug into his skin. "Trying to convince me to go back to Konoha again."

Naruto shook his head. "I never knew that he was this optimistic. That seems more like Gai-sensei's thing."

"Guess that guy rubbed off on that idiot after all those years," Sasuke muttered darkly. He startled a bit when a hand – slightly tanner than his – covered his own.

"Hey, don't mind Kaka-sensei, okay?" Naruto smiled softly, coaxing his fingers to open so he could pull the ball of paper out of his grip. "He can send as many messages as he want. If you don't want to go back, we stay here. It's that simple."

"Yeah," Sasuke sighed and closed his eyes when arms slipped around his shoulders, pulling him against the blond's body. Slender fingers slid into his hair and started softly massaging his scalp; the soothing motions draining the tension out of him.

He didn't ever want to go back to Konoha; not after all the village had done to him, to his family and most importantly, to his brother. He couldn't care less that the Council had been disbanded – that fact came many years too late. Why would he want to return to a place soaked with his family's blood?

No, just as Naruto said: if he didn't want to go back, they wouldn't. He didn't even have the slightest inkle of desire to return to that place. He was more than happy to stay here, in the little cottage in a forest close to Suna he shared with Naruto.

Just the two of them together. That was all he would ever need and want.

* * *

After another hour of arguing, Naruto finally acquiesced to helping out with the laundry, even if it had him scowling the entire time at the wet clothes and demanded Sasuke make it up to him by buying a shitload of ramen when they would go shopping for groceries in a couple of days.

Sasuke just rolled his eyes and agreed, finding that to be much easier than to try to convince Naruto that he should lessen his ramen intake. The blond Jinchuuriki might turn twenty-six in less than two months, but that didn't mean he had finally outgrown his stupid conviction that ramen was food of the gods.

* * *

Naruto was putting together their shopping list, humming underneath his breath, when Sasuke sensed someone nearing the border of the Warding jutsu he had put up a couple of years ago when they had first settled here.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, he put his cup of tea on the kitchen counter and silently retrieved his katana from the closet in the hallway.

"Naruto, I'm going to check up on the wards. I'll be back in a bit," he announced, strapping the katana behind his back. The weight of it was familiar and soothing even when he hadn't had to use it in quite some time already.

"All right! I'm almost done here with the list!" Naruto yelled back.

Leaving his lover to finish the shopping list, he stepped out of the cottage, closing the door firmly behind him. He was at the border to the east in less than a minute, shocking the other person greatly.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura gasped out surprised, halting abruptly. She wore a white cloak to shield herself against the strong wind.

The rain had stopped for the moment, but the dark clouds promised another heavy bout of rain soon.

"What are you doing here?" he asked flatly, crossing his arms and regarding her coolly. First Kakashi's message, now Sakura appearing? That couldn't be a coincidence.

She faltered, clearly not having expected this less than warm welcome. He concealed a sneer; what on earth had she expected, really? That he would welcome her with open arms? When he had been very adamant that he didn't want any visitors, much less her?

"I just wanted to visit you for a bit," she smiled nervously, stroking back a lock of her pink hair. It had grown longer since he had last seen her; the tips of it brushing a bit below her shoulders.

"Let me guess, in case Kakashi's message wasn't convincing enough, he sent you here to repeat it again?" he inquired monotonously.

_Bingo._ Her eyes widened a fraction and she looked caught and embarrassed for just a couple of seconds before she tried to laugh it off.

"What? No, of course not! I didn't even know Kaka-sensei has sent you a message," she laughed nervously. "I was just nearby and figured it had been a while since we last saw each other, so I thought - "

"You ever stopped to think that it's for a reason that we haven't seen each other in a while?" he cut her off coldly. "Or were you only thinking about yourself again?"

She flinched like he had struck her. "That's not fair, Sasuke-kun," she said, her voice trembling slightly. She blinked away some tears, sounding only mildly stronger when she went on, "It's been so long, staying here like this – it's not healthy."

He snorted. "It's healthy enough for me."

"But Sasuke-kun," she protested, "it's been years! Don't you think it's time to finally - "

"I've indulged your whining long enough," he stated bluntly and she gaped at him in shock. "I'm not going to return to Konoha. Ever. I certainly don't want to see you again and the next time you think you can just show up, I can promise you, you'll be in for a nasty surprise."

"Sasuke-kun …" Tears were dripping down her cheeks now; her hands clenching her cloak. "I just want you to - "

"Yeah, see, that has always been the problem with you, Sakura," he smiled humourlessly, resting his hand casually on his katana. "It's always about what _you _want – never about what someone else wants. You think you'd have learnt by now to what kind of trouble that can lead."

* * *

Naruto looked up when he walked into the kitchen again. "The wards still in their places?" he questioned, smiling when Sasuke came over to kiss his mouth.

"Yeah," Sasuke murmured, cupping his cheek. "They're still doing their job in keeping unwanted people away."

* * *

"I know Kaka-sensei's message put a downer on the day, but try to forget about that, all right?" Naruto murmured later that night, after they went to bed.

He straddled Sasuke's lap, clenching his thighs around his lover's hips, and wrapped his arms around the dark haired man's neck. He kissed him softly on his lips. "I'm here, you're here; that's all that matters."

"Yeah," Sasuke agreed quietly, raising his head to look Naruto straight in the eyes. "That's all that matters. Just you and me."

When their gazes met, Naruto smiled lovingly; his eyes glowing as Sharingan red and Rinnegan purple met Sharingan red and Rinnegan purple in return.

They were all who mattered, Sasuke decided as he helped Naruto pull off his shirt. He touched the two black bars in Naruto's bellybutton; proof that he was still here with him. That he would never leave him again.

Just he and Naruto until the end of times.

**The End**

* * *

**AN2: In case the ending wasn't completely clear yet (I hope it was, but you never know), these are the extra warnings which will make it fully clear: past main character death (Naruto); Naruto returning through Sasuke's use of the Deva Path; hints of angst.**

**Don't ask me how I came up with this idea; I normally write my OTP happy, but sometimes you just need to go full on angst - and as I stated at the start, it's a sort of "What if" story *throws hands up* Next oneshot will have a happy ending, I promise!**

**Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.**

**I hope to see you all back in my future stories!**

**Cuddles**

**Melissa**

**P.S. For more information about my upcoming and posted stories, please visit my profile.**


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